The Money Mustache Community
General Discussion => Welcome and General Discussion => Topic started by: mindaugas on November 14, 2012, 02:14:26 PM
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My dad bought one, my in-laws bought one, my sister is getting one, the list goes on. Now, I drink pretty crappy coffee because I usually put hot cocoa powder (with marshmallows!) and creamer in it so there is no point adding some expensive fair trade perfectly roasted beans to my cocao-creamer. On top of that I put this cheap grocery store brand coffee in a $10 5 cup coffee maker. Considering all this and the cost of the grocery store brand coffee I come out around $.11 a cup (filter is washable and re-usable, worth the extra $5 for the maker lol). A keurig is pushing a $1 a cup I think. If you count the cost of the maker which is between $150-$200 depending on model, I think they go up from there. To me it seems like it would make even crappier coffee because it's instant right? If not it's pre-packaged who knows what which is just as bad as grocery store brand coffee... ?
Or am I wrong? Does it taste good? Is this some secret mustachian way to break your starbucks habit? It's at least cheaper than they are.
Anyway, aside from that my real point is why not just buy the coffee you like and throw it in a coffee maker? It's really not that hard and last time I timed myself it was 30 seconds. Maybe a 12 cup takes a minute or two. Plus you get a giant pot of brown water instead of one little cup from a robot barista. (Although robot barista's sound pretty f'n awesome.)
(http://www.foodiggity.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/massimo_robot.png)
they can take my freedom and use my body as a battery, provided it still brews me coffee.
If you actually like coffee, here is an education video on making a really good cup from a true expert.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33kIj__tD90
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Keurigs don't produce particularly good coffee. They are slightly easier to use than other kinds of coffee machinery, but they cost at least $.50 a cup.
A French press is slightly harder to use and clean, but still plenty easy, and combined with fresh beans and a grinder (and a thermometer if you want to get really fancy) produces better coffee at a lower price.
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I own a Keurig. I drink 1 cup of coffee a day, and in buying the k-cups online, and using coupons, my one cup costs about $.40. I got the brewer as a gift, and I have enough k-cups to last 6 months. I work a lot of night shifts, so I need me some good coffee!
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Keurigs and the like are the inkjet printers of the coffee world.
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First thought when I see this kind of stuff.. ooooo investment idea. Yep private company :-(
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I was just wondering this myself this morning as I saw the xmas display at Costco. I think they are a fad just like cappucino makers were 15 years ago. The attraction is easy, fresh, almost instant, individually flavoured coffees - but the cost and garbage production are higher and, really, no better tasting than other types of fresh coffee. I bought a cappucino maker (pain to clean!) back then... but I'm not falling for it again :) My french press makes awesome coffee.
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Friend of mine has a Keurig, uses it solely for the convenience (all he has to do is insert the k-cup and then press start). He also buys disposable coffee cups so he can take his coffee with him and then just throw out the cup rather than having to do dishes. The other day I was at his house and he told me he plans to get a newer model of Keurig that he can hardwire into his water piping, thus saving the need to refill the water reservoir.
When I asked him if he realized that he's probably paying over $1 more per cup vs a regular coffee machine he told me that he figures he's actually saving money. How? Because before the Keurig he would stop to buy coffee on his way to work (for over $1.50/cup) plus time/fuel waiting in the drivethru.
Me I just drink water - free and really easy to make!
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Here's a secret: coffee does not taste good. It's palatable if you mix in enough chocolate, but otherwise it's just a dose of performance-enhancing drug.
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Here's a secret: coffee does not taste good. It's palatable if you mix in enough chocolate, but otherwise it's just a dose of performance-enhancing drug.
I disagree, good sir. Black coffee, every morning here.
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Good business model? Yes.
Fad? probably.
More expensive than other coffee? Yes, although the cost difference is smaller if you only want a single serving.
Do I use one? Yes (a co-workers, not my own). They do have reusable cartridges (where you insert your own coffee), but I have not used them. At $0.50 a cartridge 3-4 times a week, I avoid the Starbucks next door without cleaning up a mess or owning/storing my own coffee-pod.
For those of you who take another route to save the extra $4-6/month, I salute you- but do not plan on changing this habit.
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it's just a dose of performance-enhancing drug.
Only if you only drink it a couple times a month or less.
People who drink it everyday are getting nothing from it.
What they are feeling that the mistake for a boost in energy and alertness is really just the subsiding of the withdrawal symptoms they are getting, returning them back to the baseline that they would be at anyway if they didn't have the caffeine addiction.
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mindaugas, you are not alone. I also do not understand this crazy trend. The coffee doesn't taste good, its insanely expensive, and it constantly draws power warming up the water. Is making coffee such a chore, it takes like 30 seconds time to start the coffee maker, if that.
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There is one at my office - crappy coffee and crappy tea. It tastes like powdered chemicals mixed with hot water, which is exactly what it is. I can't get past the waste, but it certainly has eliminated the coffee disputes in a small office (lots of variety, quick, and no one gets stuck cleaning the pot).
The one - great - upside is that it provides instant hot water for my tea (bulk, organic, and in my own cup).
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What they are feeling that the mistake for a boost in energy and alertness is really just the subsiding of the withdrawal symptoms they are getting, returning them back to the baseline that they would be at anyway if they didn't have the caffeine addiction.
Sorry, but no. Now it may work that way for you, but I've lived in my body for a good many years (including some years-long caffeine-free periods), and I know what it does for me.
Maybe this is another data point for the "Am I really human?" problem :-)
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What they are feeling that the mistake for a boost in energy and alertness is really just the subsiding of the withdrawal symptoms they are getting, returning them back to the baseline that they would be at anyway if they didn't have the caffeine addiction.
Sorry, but no. Now it may work that way for you, but I've lived in my body for a good many years (including some years-long caffeine-free periods), and I know what it does for me.
Maybe this is another data point for the "Am I really human?" problem :-)
It doesn't work that way for me, because I don't drink coffee. But the fact that you think that does reaffirm your humanity - everyone who drinks coffee thinks that (just like everyone thinks they "know their body"). Thats a wery human sort of thing to say :P
Like any drug, one builds tolerance to it. Very soon, all you are doing by drinking it is returning yourself to the baseline you would have been at were you not addicted to caffeine in the first place. In other words, you aren't becoming MORE alert, you are just treating your own caffeine withdrawal symptoms.
But you don't have to take my word for it:
"A 1995 study suggests that humans become tolerant to their daily dose of caffeine—whether a single soda or a serious espresso habit—somewhere between a week and 12 days. And that tolerance is pretty strong. One test of regular caffeine pill use had some participants getting an astronomical 900 milligrams per day, others placebos—found that the two groups were nearly identical in mood, energy, and alertness after 18 days. The folks taking the equivalent of nine stiff coffee pours every day weren't really feeling it anymore. They would feel it, though, when they stopped.
You start to feel caffeine withdrawal very quickly, anywhere from 12 to 24 hours after your last use. That's a big part of why that first cup or can in the morning is so important—it's staving off the early effects of withdrawal."
http://lifehacker.com/5585217/what-caffeine-actually-does-to-your-brain
"According to a recent study published in the June 2010 issue of "Neuropsychopharmacology," caffeine does not cause alertness. This study took 379 individuals; half were no or low coffee consumers and the other half were moderate or high coffee consumers. After 16 hours of abstaining from caffeine, individuals were given either coffee or a placebo, then rated their mood and physical feelings which were followed up by alertness and cognitive tests. There were no differences in alertness varying from those who drank coffee versus those who received the placebo.
Researchers involved in the study published in "Neuropsychopharmacology" in June 2010 state that those who drink coffee regularly may have a developed tolerance to its effects. The alertness regular coffee drinkers feel after having their regular amount, simply brings them back to their "normal" state."
http://www.livestrong.com/article/517164-does-caffeine-make-you-more-alert/
Daily coffee is worse than pointless. The only reason you feel so slow in the morning without it is BECAUSE you drink coffee everyday. Go without for 2 weeks, you reset your brain, and you'll be equally alert without it. In fact, you will probably be better off, because your sleep quality is likely to improve, which in turn will make you wake up fresher. Plus, then you have the full effects of caffeine available to you for the occasional times you actually do need the boost.
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After 20 years of drinking Navy coffee, a Keurig is just pearls before swine.
I wonder how it'd do in a blind taste test against black coffee from Dunkin' Donuts, Starbucks, and traditional ol' hand-made.
I have to admit that QVC makes it seem as if we're the only humans on earth who don't own one yet. I hope they don't run out!
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I will never understand why more people don't use single cup manual drip coffee makers. Simple, easy to customize to suit personal taste, basically a coffee loving minimalists dream.
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My husband used to spend $100 or so every month buying coffee when he got to work. We bought a keurig with a 40% off coupon when it was on sale and bought a variety pack of coffee. It's cut the monthly expense in half and after 2 months it has paid itself off and then some based on the hubby's previous habits.
To save even more money, we bought a reusable k-cup for $8 and bulk coffee ground for free at the store. We are guessing this will last about six weeks at one cup 6 days a week. We even dump the grounds in the compost we set up last year!
I don't drink coffee. Can't even stand the smell of it :)
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mindaugas, you are not alone. I also do not understand this crazy trend. The coffee doesn't taste good, its insanely expensive, and it constantly draws power warming up the water. Is making coffee such a chore, it takes like 30 seconds time to start the coffee maker, if that.
sobs
I have been working so hard to reduce the electricity bill, and I went downstairs to the laundry room this morning (share a 2 story house - separate apartments - with my sister) to find that my sister has bought a Keurig. She had left for work hours ago, and the glowing blue light on the machine mocked me every time I passed by.
Maybe Keurig will have an "accident" ...
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7nexgkOdcE&feature=related
You'd never have this problem with a french press!
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As a non-coffee drinker, non-tv watcher who works in my own little office, when I saw this post I said to myself, "What the hell's a Keurig?" Now I am educated. And PJ, thanks so much for the animation -- a hilarious way to start my day.
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Well, they're a nifty gadget, the variety of all those different K-Cups is appealing, and whatever the quality of the beverage, at least it's fresh and made specifically for you.
I don't own one but have enjoyed playing with other people's. Was tempted to get one a few years ago, but it's not practical due to cost and lack of counter space (and I don't need to drink more coffee.) More people buying one just means I'll have more chances to play with their Keurigs. :)
Bakari, I'll try going no-coffee for a few weeks in December and see how much performance-enhancing benefit I get when I go back. :)
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it's just a dose of performance-enhancing drug.
Only if you only drink it a couple times a month or less.
People who drink it everyday are getting nothing from it.
What they are feeling that the mistake for a boost in energy and alertness is really just the subsiding of the withdrawal symptoms they are getting, returning them back to the baseline that they would be at anyway if they didn't have the caffeine addiction.
As someone who is currently trying to quit coffee, I can attest to this. One day without it and I was in agonizing pain. Massive headache, intense grogginess.
I'm weening now, instead of cold turkey. (4-5 cup/day drinker)
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mindaugas, you are not alone. I also do not understand this crazy trend. The coffee doesn't taste good, its insanely expensive, and it constantly draws power warming up the water. Is making coffee such a chore, it takes like 30 seconds time to start the coffee maker, if that.
sobs
I have been working so hard to reduce the electricity bill, and I went downstairs to the laundry room this morning (share a 2 story house - separate apartments - with my sister) to find that my sister has bought a Keurig. She had left for work hours ago, and the glowing blue light on the machine mocked me every time I passed by.
Maybe Keurig will have an "accident" ...
You could get a power meter, plug that in for a month, and see how much it actually costs to run for a month, then just forward that cost to your sister.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16882715001
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To save even more money, we bought a reusable k-cup for $8 and bulk coffee ground for free at the store. We are guessing this will last about six weeks at one cup 6 days a week. We even dump the grounds in the compost we set up last year!
YES! Reusable K-Cup for the win! http://www.amazon.com/Cafejo-Single-Reusable-Filter-Brewers/dp/B0080050RU/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1352986339&sr=8-4&keywords=reuseable+k+cups (http://www.amazon.com/Cafejo-Single-Reusable-Filter-Brewers/dp/B0080050RU/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1352986339&sr=8-4&keywords=reuseable+k+cups)
This is exactly what we do! I got so irritated by the cost of the k-cups and the WASTE (so much waste), but now we have a re-usable cup and we buy good cheap coffee that we grind in-store at Trader Joe's: $4.99 for 14oz. It takes 0.4 oz of coffee per cup, and that comes out to 35 cups of coffee, which works out to about $0.14/cup of HOT DELICIOUS JOE!
It's great, and I think less waste than a traditional drip coffee maker....we make only what we'll drink and drink only what we make. And as for tea, you can throw a bag in a cup, and you can run the keurig with no coffee in it to just get the hot water.
So it's a hot fresh cup of coffee every time! And I don't believe it takes any more power to heat the water than a traditional coffee pot, plus you don't have that damn hot plate sucking power and burning your coffee. We turn it on, it warms up in a minute or two, brew our cups, then turn it off. I honestly feel it is a pretty efficient coffee system, personally.
SCREW THE K-CUPS! BUY YOUR OWN COFFEE!! If you don't buy into the k-cup thing, it's a pretty sweet setup and IMHO quite Mustachian. :)
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mindaugas, you are not alone. I also do not understand this crazy trend. The coffee doesn't taste good, its insanely expensive, and it constantly draws power warming up the water. Is making coffee such a chore, it takes like 30 seconds time to start the coffee maker, if that.
sobs
I have been working so hard to reduce the electricity bill, and I went downstairs to the laundry room this morning (share a 2 story house - separate apartments - with my sister) to find that my sister has bought a Keurig. She had left for work hours ago, and the glowing blue light on the machine mocked me every time I passed by.
Maybe Keurig will have an "accident" ...
You could get a power meter, plug that in for a month, and see how much it actually costs to run for a month, then just forward that cost to your sister.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16882715001
Better yet, borrow one from your library!
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Here's a secret: coffee does not taste good. It's palatable if you mix in enough chocolate, but otherwise it's just a dose of performance-enhancing drug.
My thoughts exactly, I like swiss miss cocoa mix and some french vanilla creamer.
What they are feeling that the mistake for a boost in energy and alertness is really just the subsiding of the withdrawal symptoms they are getting, returning them back to the baseline that they would be at anyway if they didn't have the caffeine addiction.
Shutup buzzkill
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I can't totally dismiss these out of hand as an non-frugal thing. For some people trying to break a Starbucks habit, these are amazing. I've seen the small machines at Bed, Bath and Beyond for $60 with a coupon so that's not too much more than a nice standard drip machine.
My in-laws have one and I thought their coffee selections were very good. Of course, for them this is not a frugal product. Before the Kuerig, they drank two small pots of coffee daily, on regular and one decaf. And they drank one of those cheapo metal canned brands so maybe $10 a month in coffee then. Now they easily drink 12 large cups a day+ between the two of them and their daughter who lives with them. I had a chance to carefully observe their coffee drinking habits when we stayed several days with them this Spring and when they stayed several days with us this Fall and drank over a full 12 ounce bag of coffee while they were here, by themselves. Every time I turned around they were asking us to make more coffee. :/ But K-cups at $.60-.80 a cup would be $250 a month in coffee. Even if they drank only half that much, the monthly cost is absurd for an optional beverage.
We have a 5 year old Frieling stainless steel carafe French press. We paid $70 for it. We buy coffee for less than $7lb so each cup is somewhere around $.12. Our monthly cost for coffee is about $18.
We can make a fresh pot of coffee in 1 minute of hands-on time. It does take 10 minutes to heat the water and steep. I like the wait though. Anticipating something makes it more enjoyable when you finally do get it in your hands. ;) And decaf black coffee is right tasty. People who don't actually like coffee dump hot chocolate powder in it. Yuck!
Anyway, I think it's only human to try to log the entire time process as "work" when it's really only a minute. Logically, a Kuerig really isn't more convenient unless you have a large group of picky coffee drinkers.
And I gotta say, an energy boost or withdrawal effects from caffeine aren't the only ways one can feel it in their system. My heart condition gives me terrible chest pains and shortness of breath when I have it. There is no way to acclimate to it. After I gave it up, I found that well time bursts of exercise did more to boost my mood and productivity than caffeine ever did. I still don't wake up feeling fresh or pleasant though until I've had my cup of decaf. Emotionally attached perhaps?
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What they are feeling that the mistake for a boost in energy and alertness is really just the subsiding of the withdrawal symptoms they are getting, returning them back to the baseline that they would be at anyway if they didn't have the caffeine addiction.
Sorry, but no. Now it may work that way for you, but I've lived in my body for a good many years (including some years-long caffeine-free periods), and I know what it does for me.
Maybe this is another data point for the "Am I really human?" problem :-)
It doesn't work that way for me, because I don't drink coffee. But the fact that you think that does reaffirm your humanity - everyone who drinks coffee thinks that (just like everyone thinks they "know their body"). Thats a wery human sort of thing to say :P
Like any drug, one builds tolerance to it. Very soon, all you are doing by drinking it is returning yourself to the baseline you would have been at were you not addicted to caffeine in the first place. In other words, you aren't becoming MORE alert, you are just treating your own caffeine withdrawal symptoms.
There are also studies showing coffee makes exercise hurt less, even when consumed habitually:
http://www.livescience.com/5374-coffee-lessens-pain-exercise.html
I started drinking coffee first thing in the morning to make climbing the two 500-foot-high mesas in my bike commute easier & less painful. It worked, about as well as the study suggests. Happier bike commuting = more money saved, gigantic thigh muscles, and better health. I live in flat New York City now, but still enjoy my morning coffee before the commute.
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Daily coffee is worse than pointless. The only reason you feel so slow in the morning without it is BECAUSE you drink coffee everyday. Go without for 2 weeks, you reset your brain, and you'll be equally alert without it. In fact, you will probably be better off, because your sleep quality is likely to improve, which in turn will make you wake up fresher. Plus, then you have the full effects of caffeine available to you for the occasional times you actually do need the boost.
Thanks for the info, I'm going to quit and see what happens. I only drink about 3 cups worth in the morning though so I don't think it will be as hard as it will for some. Plus it will cut out some sugar from my diet which I also need to do.
I started drinking coffee first thing in the morning to make climbing the two 500-foot-high mesas in my bike commute easier & less painful. It worked, about as well as the study suggests. Happier bike commuting = more money saved, gigantic thigh muscles, and better health. I live in flat New York City now, but still enjoy my morning coffee before the commute.
When commuting I actually don't drink coffee because the ride wakes me up.
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Daily coffee is worse than pointless. The only reason you feel so slow in the morning without it is BECAUSE you drink coffee everyday. Go without for 2 weeks, you reset your brain, and you'll be equally alert without it. In fact, you will probably be better off, because your sleep quality is likely to improve, which in turn will make you wake up fresher. Plus, then you have the full effects of caffeine available to you for the occasional times you actually do need the boost.
Thanks for the info, I'm going to quit and see what happens. I only drink about 3 cups worth in the morning though so I don't think it will be as hard as it will for some. Plus it will cut out some sugar from my diet which I also need to do.
I started drinking coffee first thing in the morning to make climbing the two 500-foot-high mesas in my bike commute easier & less painful. It worked, about as well as the study suggests. Happier bike commuting = more money saved, gigantic thigh muscles, and better health. I live in flat New York City now, but still enjoy my morning coffee before the commute.
When commuting I actually don't drink coffee because the ride wakes me up.
Make it easy on yourself, cut out 1 cup a day every three days. No headaches. I went cold turkey on 4-5 and was debilitated. :(
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For those thinking about quitting coffee: consider weaning yourself by mixing caf and decaf instead of going cold-turkey. I tried the latter and it was terrible, but the gradual approach has worked well for me. I measure my beans before grinding on a digital scale anyway, so I just started reducing the caf content by a fixed-mass amount each week. E.g., start at 40g caf/0g decaf, the next week 36g caf/4g decaf. I got down to 12g/28g but then went on a trip and went back to full strength. Thanks to this thread I'm going to restart my caffeine reduction program!
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The only reason you feel so slow in the morning without it is BECAUSE you drink coffee everyday. Go without for 2 weeks, you reset your brain, and you'll be equally alert without it.
Wrong! I didn't drink coffee (or anything else with caffeine) at all for the first 30+ years of my life, and have always felt slow in the mornings, exactly as I do now before administering a dose or two. And exactly as I do now on the days when I don't have any. Nor do I experience headaches or anything else that I could interpret as withdrawal symptoms on the days (sometimes several days, or even weeks) that I don't have any.
As for studies, it's not fair to point to one (or a few) studies that find no effect, while ignoring many other studies that do. Go to Google Scholar and search for something like "caffeine increased alertness", and you'll get many articles showing positive results.
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it's just a dose of performance-enhancing drug.
Only if you only drink it a couple times a month or less.
People who drink it everyday are getting nothing from it.
I'm not sure that's true; even if it's true for the "boost" effect, there may be other performance-enhancing effects. See http://velonews.competitor.com/2008/11/nutrition/what-about-caffeine-after-exercise_84963
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Daily coffee is worse than pointless.
Coffee is the number one source of antioxidants in the U.S. diet: http://phys.org/news6067.html
Lower risk of Alzheimer's disease: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090114200005.htm
Lower risk of cirrhosis: http://archinte.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=410422
Lower risk of diabetes: http://diabetes.webmd.com/news/20120113/why-coffee-may-reduce-diabetes-risk
And, finally, lower overall risk of death: http://abcnews.go.com/Health/coffee-drinkers-lower-risk-death-heart-disease-stroke/story?id=16359526#.UKVJ3KDVtiI
You may not like coffee, but I think you can see that there is a great amount of research showing positive health benefits of coffee. These are not the only positive results, there are many more.
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They are wasteful and expensive, but they are more convenient. Convenience is king for lazy Americans, so I believe the Keurig machines will continue to gain popularity in the U.S.
I use one of these: http://aerobie.com/products/aeropress.htm
-- Aeropress -- takes me about 1 minute to set up, 1 minute to clean, makes excellent coffee
and one of these: http://www.bialetti.com/coffee/moka/
-- Bialetti moka pot -- takes me about 1 minute to set up and 2 minutes to clean, makes excellent coffee
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-- Aeropress -- takes me about 1 minute to set up, 1 minute to clean, makes excellent coffee
What a great idea!!! I had a espresso coffee maker but I stopped using it because it was messy (I didn't think it was but the wife had other ideas) and the coffee too strong for my tastes so I switched over to Nespresso. But the problem is Nespresso is expensive, especially when you drink as much as I do. The only advantage to Nespresso is that the capsules are recyable if, and this is a big if, you bring them back to the store.
PS: folks please take a moment to remove the unnecessary parts of a quote when commenting on something. I don't think we need to re-quote the whole damn thread to make a simple comment. Notice how neat and clean my comment is. thanks
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I will never understand why more people don't use single cup manual drip coffee makers. Simple, easy to customize to suit personal taste, basically a coffee loving minimalists dream.
I bought one of those a year ago, when I realized that I only had a cup or two a month, but had a 10-cup coffeemaker taking up space on my counter. I've certainly enjoyed it.
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First thought when I see this kind of stuff.. ooooo investment idea. Yep private company :-(
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-11-01/green-mountain-rises-on-private-brand-k-cups-for-costco-1-.html
The Waterbury, Vermont-based company has lost 41 percent this year.
Not private, but not good, either.
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Daily coffee is worse than pointless.
You may not like coffee, but I think you can see that there is a great amount of research showing positive health benefits of coffee. These are not the only positive results, there are many more.
ok, ok, "pointless" was a poor choice of words. but honestly, how many people drink it for the supposed health benefits? That's like pretending you drink red wine every night for the resveratrol.
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ok, ok, "pointless" was a poor choice of words. but honestly, how many people drink it for the supposed health benefits? That's like pretending you drink red wine every night for the resveratrol.
I drink it, because I like the taste :)
I don't drink coffee everyday either, just when I have to wake up to an alarm (when at work), or when I'm working night shifts.
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I drink coffee and red wine :) I have no desire to give up either long-term. I've given up both as part of a health experiment and then as part of a savings goal. I noticed no difference in health except that I missed the coffee a lot in the mornings. I think I enjoy the ritual as a way to start the day - just like really nice sheets. It is a quality of life factor for me.
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We ended up getting one where I used to work because my boss was such a complete pig. She never cleaned out the coffee pot. At least with the Keurig, we just had to toss her used coffee grounds and fill up the water, since she was incapable of sharing in that responsibility.
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-- Aeropress -- takes me about 1 minute to set up, 1 minute to clean, makes excellent coffee
-- Bialetti moka pot -- takes me about 1 minute to set up and 2 minutes to clean, makes excellent coffee
People actually clean their coffeepots?
Why?
PS: folks please take a moment to remove the unnecessary parts of a quote when commenting on something. I don't think we need to re-quote the whole damn thread to make a simple comment. Notice how neat and clean my comment is. thanks
This reminds me of the discussion boards where posters keep trying to make everyone else stay on topic... and use proper English spelling, punctuation, & grammar.
I think you're going to learn that "neat & clean comments" are much more important to you than to any of the other posters.
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Amusingly, I am seeing an ad for k-cups at the bottom of the page.
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I think you're going to learn that "neat & clean comments" are much more important to you than to any of the other posters.
You might be surprised. I also appreciate "neat & clean comments", and do try to make mine that way.
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ok, ok, "pointless" was a poor choice of words. but honestly, how many people drink it for the supposed health benefits? That's like pretending you drink red wine every night for the resveratrol.
OK, not EVERY night, but I do favor red wine on the couple of nights a week when I have a glass, in part for the possible health benefits.
I've sometimes wondered why coffee & caffeine get such a bad rap among the healthy food culture, while things like herb teas are perfectly acceptable, even praiseworthy. Coffee is, after all, a perfectly natural bean that grows on a tree. I think maybe it goes back to the counterculture ethos of the '60s and '70s. We were supposed to "mellow out", and many people used certain illegal substances to that end. The increased alertness & better mental & physical functioning produced by caffeine was just the opposite of mellow, so it had to be unhealthy.
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mindaugas, you are not alone. I also do not understand this crazy trend. The coffee doesn't taste good, its insanely expensive, and it constantly draws power warming up the water. Is making coffee such a chore, it takes like 30 seconds time to start the coffee maker, if that.
I have been working so hard to reduce the electricity bill, and I went downstairs to the laundry room this morning (share a 2 story house - separate apartments - with my sister) to find that my sister has bought a Keurig. She had left for work hours ago, and the glowing blue light on the machine mocked me every time I passed by.
You could get a power meter, plug that in for a month, and see how much it actually costs to run for a month, then just forward that cost to your sister.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16882715001
While I do appreciate the suggestion, I think that my relationship with my sister is not going to be much improved if I start setting up power meters to test each of the things that she has running 24 hours a day. In fact, I try not to notice these things, it tends to upset me when I do. And from her perspective, it's probably bad enough that I turn off lights in her apartment when I go through it on my way to the shared laundry room. ;-P
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Daily coffee is worse than pointless.
You may not like coffee, but I think you can see that there is a great amount of research showing positive health benefits of coffee. These are not the only positive results, there are many more.
ok, ok, "pointless" was a poor choice of words. but honestly, how many people drink it for the supposed health benefits? That's like pretending you drink red wine every night for the resveratrol.
My point is a counter to yours -- that coffee is useless AND bad for you. Coffee itself is well established to not be bad for you. Furthermore, I enjoy drinking it. I don't pretend to drink it because it is healthy -- it just happens to be healthy on top of my enjoyment.
You paint coffee as a dangerous substance tha only has downsides. It should therefore be treated the same as partially hydrogenated oils and corn syrup. The science does not back up your position.
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-- Aeropress -- takes me about 1 minute to set up, 1 minute to clean, makes excellent coffee
-- Bialetti moka pot -- takes me about 1 minute to set up and 2 minutes to clean, makes excellent coffee
People actually clean their coffeepots?
Why?
This is not a coffee pot with a paper filter you throw away. You have to remove a metal screen, dump the grounds out and rinse out the apparatus. You might find it difficult to make more coffee if you don't wash it out.
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I received a Keurig as a birthday gift 2.5 years ago to try and "break" my Caribou Coffee habit. It didn't work. I drink lattes and the weak coffee from the machine did not cut it. The only thing it has accomplished is to turn my wife into a coffee drinker :-)
2.5 years later, the machine is leaking water like crazy (4oz of water leak for a 12oz drink). After quite a bit of internet research, I have found the Keurig is nearly IMPOSSIBLE to fix yourself. I am mechanically inclined and it takes about 18 steps (including using a hacksaw) to disassemble the damn thing. Also, the parts to fix the machine are not readily available because they want you to buy a new machine.
We were able to keep our per cup coffee costs down to about $0.30 over the years but if I include the cost of the now dead machine, the cost is more like $0.65 per cup. Definitely cheaper than a store bought cup but NOT cheap.
Now, I rely on work swill during the week and french press on the weekends. Will likely get the Moka stove top cap maker for X-mas with the Aerolatte milk frother.
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My point is a counter to yours -- that coffee is useless AND bad for you. Coffee itself is well established to not be bad for you. Furthermore, I enjoy drinking it. I don't pretend to drink it because it is healthy -- it just happens to be healthy on top of my enjoyment.
You paint coffee as a dangerous substance tha only has downsides. It should therefore be treated the same as partially hydrogenated oils and corn syrup. The science does not back up your position.
Nonsense. I never said it was unhealthy. I said it was pointless. And I meant that from the perspective of the reason most people drink it - to help them feel more awake and alert first thing in the morning. I was just pointing out that if you drink it every single morning (or most mornings), you build tolerance to it, and it no longer provides those effects. It just feels like it does, subjectively. Most people believe their subjective feelings are fact, which is why I posted links to studies that confirmed that this common perception is mistaken.
None of that has any bearing on any potential health benefits (or risks). I even suggested previously that if you didn't drink it every day, then you could actually get the intended stimulant effect from it by drinking it occasionally. I wouldn't have suggested drinking it occasionally if I thought it was harmful.
The only downside to drinking it regularly, assuming a person's primary reason for alertness, is wasting money.
Also, I don't agree with the implication that partially hydrogenated oils or corn syrup are dangerous substances that only have downsides.
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And I meant that from the perspective of the reason most people drink it - to help them feel more awake and alert first thing in the morning. I was just pointing out that if you drink it every single morning (or most mornings), you build tolerance to it, and it no longer provides those effects.
I drink coffee in the mornings, and the heat and the bitterness help wake me up, in addition to being something I enjoy greatly (https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/share-your-badassity/cultivate-a-little-coffeehouse-luxury-in-your-life/). I know it's not the caffeine, because decaf doesn't have caffeine in it. And while I guess you could build a tolerance to heat and bitterness, it's not like I've started waking up less over time. Maybe you could concede that there is some benefit in it for some people even if the caffeine part isn't all it's made out to be?
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-- Aeropress -- takes me about 1 minute to set up, 1 minute to clean, makes excellent coffee
-- Bialetti moka pot -- takes me about 1 minute to set up and 2 minutes to clean, makes excellent coffee
People actually clean their coffeepots?
Why?
This is not a coffee pot with a paper filter you throw away. You have to remove a metal screen, dump the grounds out and rinse out the apparatus. You might find it difficult to make more coffee if you don't wash it out.
I was with you until the "rinse out the apparatus" and "wash it out" parts. I'll have to try that sometime. I just hope it doesn't spoil the flavor...
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The only downside to drinking it regularly, assuming a person's primary reason for alertness, is wasting money.
I think caffeine inhibits calcium absorption/increases calcium excretion. I wonder how much milk a latte would have to have in order to balance this effect out.
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The Keurig seems pretty wasteful to me. Keep the water hot? That's a useless luxury. And how about all that packaging? Wasteful, too.
And what does it achieve? Come on, cleaning up from a drip maker is super easy. Lift the filter (with grinds in it) out of the basket, and toss it. I put it in my compost. Worms seem to like it. Rinse the pot. Done. My God, we need to waste more materials to avoid that? It makes no sense to me.
Coffee has been studied extensively. Excessive consumption is bad. Moderate consumption is not. It's a pleasure, too. I love the taste. I brew it extra strong, and I drink it black. Life without coffee would be poorer.
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I didn't' realize till now that these machines were call 'Kuerigs'. I prefer to call them a 'free punch in the nuts every time you put in the #Q$!$ overprice garbage cartridge'.
My family are always asking me to fix their machines for them. Many of these machines are poor quality; everyone I know has had to return one or two before they find one that actually works properly and doesn't taste like plastic. They take up way too much counter space, often more space then some smaller industrial sized units that will brew enough for a small office. $0.50 a cup? Fu@k that, I can drink 10 cups with milk, sugar using high end coffee for 1/2 as much with a filtered machine.
Another product in 5 years that will be collecting dust in somebodies basement if their lucky, or worse, in a landfill being crushed with all the iPhone 5's and this years plastic 'must have' toys.
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I don't have mine plugged in, unless I am about to use it. Mine only takes a cup of water at a time, and so it heats it right when I want to brew, but then again, I have the most basic model.
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I think caffeine inhibits calcium absorption/increases calcium excretion. I wonder how much milk a latte would have to have in order to balance this effect out.
I was under the impression that milk actually leaches calcium, rather than replacing it.
"women consuming greater amounts of calcium from dairy foods had significantly increased risks of hip fractures, while no increase in fracture risk was observed for the same levels of calcium from nondairy sources."
12-year Harvard study of 78,000 women American Journal of Public Health 1997;87
"Calcium intake demonstrated no protective in preventing bone fractures. In fact, those populations with the highest calcium intakes had higher fracture rates than those with more modest calcium intakes. "
Calif Tissue Int 1992;50
"Consumption of dairy products, particularly at age 20 years, were associated with an increased risk of hip fractures...metabolism of dietary protein causes increased urinary excretion of calcium. "
American Journal of Epidemiology 1994;139
"Countries with the highest rates of osteoporosis, such as the United States, England, and Sweden, consume the most milk. China and Japan, where people eat much less protein and dairy food, have low rates of osteoporosis."
Nutrition Action Healthletter, June, 1993
a 1994 study of elderly men and women in Sydney, Australia, showed that higher dairy product consumption was associated with increased fracture risk. Those with the highest dairy product consumption had approximately double the risk of hip fracture compared to those with the lowest consumption.
Cumming RG, Klineberg RJ. Case-control study of risk factors for hip fractures in the elderly. Am J Epidemiol. 1994;139:493-503.
Since 1975, 140 clinical trials have explored calcium’s effects on osteoporotic fracture risk. Two-thirds of these studies show no benefit from high calcium intake. Overall, the clinical trials dealing with fracture prevention run two-to-one against calcium
Building Bone Vitality by Amy Lanou, UNC Asheville assistant professor of health and wellness, and noted health writer Michael Castleman
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Nonsense. I never said it was unhealthy. I said it was pointless. And I meant that from the perspective of the reason most people drink it - to help them feel more awake and alert first thing in the morning. I was just pointing out that if you drink it every single morning (or most mornings), you build tolerance to it, and it no longer provides those effects. It just feels like it does, subjectively. Most people believe their subjective feelings are fact, which is why I posted links to studies that confirmed that this common perception is mistaken.
I enjoy coffee, though I don't drink it every day.
I also find that hot coffee is most effective at cutting through mucous - apparently I have a nose sensitive to a variety of pollens and molds, and at the risk of being indelicate.... there tends to be overnight accumulation much of the time. Hot tea also works - though not as well.
I find the Keurig silly, and the flavor of the resulting product poor to mediocre. I use a french press.
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People actually clean their coffeepots?
Why?
This is where the Keurig argument originated at my workplace. We had a 12-cup machine and people would make a big communal pot each morning. After a particularly caffeinated and ocd employee left we realized he was the one who'd always made sure the filter was emptied afterwards and we didn't have a system to make sure that happened. After a couple times of the grounds molding after having been left over the weekend, someone threw the machine out. Someone else brought in a Keurig they got free from another job but the cafeteria had been providing us with free grounds so you would have to buy your own keurig capsules and as far as I know no one does. Instead they buy coffee from the cafeteria. Which seems strange to me because, as a coffee addict, free coffee on the job was a big perk; not quite as valuable as a company car or phone plan but that sort of thing. We still get free tea so I switched to that.
But yes, beyond avoiding obviously unhygienic situations I never really understood cleaning the machine. I consider the residue "seasoning" that improves the flavor over time. My spouse disagrees.
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Have one as a gift. My wife and I stopped buying the disposable little cups. We have a re-useable mesh filter and insert that we each use once a day in place of it. I can use whatever coffee I get on sale (generally the next step above folgers/maxwell house). Not sure about the electricity/water costs, but we are definitely under 10 cents per cup of coffee using this machine. The coffee makers just make too much. I wake up a few hours earlier than my wife for work, and I don't want more than 1 cup.
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We still get free tea so I switched to that.
Mustachian logic, awesome. I switched from coffee to tea several years ago and never looked back. A good quality black tea can hold it's own with coffee in my opinion.
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I know it's not the caffeine, because decaf doesn't have caffeine in it.
This is actually a misnomer, decaf does have caffeine in it, just reduced amounts. A Starbucks grande decaf has 25mg, which is about 10% of the regular.
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That may be the case for starbucks, but from my very exhaustive internet research (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decaffeination#Caffeine_content_of_decaffeinated_coffee), that's like the extreme end of the range that may extend down to 1.5% of the full-strength caffeine content. It looks like you can't easily find a lab test for your given brand of coffee (I drink Kirkland Signature decaf, which is the best cheap coffee in the entire world, but couldn't find lab results for its caffeine content specifically.
I didn't mean literally caffeine free, but effectively caffeine free. If there's less caffeine in it than in black tea, we're well past the point of any substantial effect.
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I'm on day 4 without coffee and doing fine.
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I don't own one but have enjoyed playing with other people's. Was tempted to get one a few years ago, but it's not practical due to cost and lack of counter space (and I don't need to drink more coffee.) More people buying one just means I'll have more chances to play with their Keurigs. :)
Just wanted to report back that I spent a night at a nice hotel (company paid) and the room had a small Keurig so I had fun playing with that. :) The coffee was quite hot, though, so I couldn't really judge how good/how much I liked the Timothy's coffee k-cup (I rarely drink their stuff anyways.) After this thread I think half my enjoyment was simply that I got to play with it for free/on the company's dime. :) Yay, mindless (caffeinated) gadget fun!
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They look cool, don't require much cleaning, it's easy to try a bunch of different flavors and it's much faster than any other method of coffee making at getting a decent uniform cup. Not saying they're a good idea, just that's why people like them.
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I'm on day 4 without coffee and doing fine.
As long as you keep repeating that over and over. ;)
I take breaks from my coffee habit once I feel my tolerance has gotten a bit high, the first week is usually really rough (headaches, etc). Then I can resume drinking coffee and use a weaker recipe to get a stronger effect.
I see the Kuerig as really wasteful, my last job had them and the coffee for free. After two years of the stuff, all the different flavors started to taste the same (like the packaging). I wouldn't have ever used one if I had to pay for it.
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As long as you keep repeating that over and over. ;)
I take breaks from my coffee habit once I feel my tolerance has gotten a bit high, the first week is usually really rough (headaches, etc). Then I can resume drinking coffee and use a weaker recipe to get a stronger effect.
It really hasn't bugged me but I only drank about 2-3 cups in the morning. My stomach is thanking me though.
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Keurig makes sense if you buy your own reusable cup and skip the entire disposable coffee thing. It's still the easiest way to brew an occasional cup. No extra coffee, no trashing filters, very little to clean.
Pro-tip: Keurig is not the only company with k-cup compatible brewers. You can get much less expensive brewers from other companies with similar performance and simplicity.
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I think Jimmy Kimmel figured it out. Here is a video of people comparing regular starbucks coffee to it's new premium $7 per cup coffee.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=HxlGI4OzeBk#! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=HxlGI4OzeBk#!)
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Keurig makes sense if you buy your own reusable cup and skip the entire disposable coffee thing. It's still the easiest way to brew an occasional cup. No extra coffee, no trashing filters, very little to clean.
Pro-tip: Keurig is not the only company with k-cup compatible brewers. You can get much less expensive brewers from other companies with similar performance and simplicity.
Mhmm.. sounds interesting! I'm the only one drinking coffee at home and every morning I have to do my little filter + coffee + water + turn on the coffee machine and wait 5 minutes routine for my coffee. I also always pour too much water just in case I want a second cup (not that often) and end up emptying the extra coffee in the sink. Cheap k-cup compatible brewer + reusable cup could be a good option just for the hassle-free experience (even though it wouldn't save me that much money in the long term)
Do you know of any good k-cup compatible machine? I figure they must be pretty cheap since they seem to be using the same business model as printers do. Cheap to buy the machine, expensive to buy the refills (coffee cups in this case)
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We picked up a Mr. Coffee k-cup brewer for about $40 on sale, and it lists for $60+. That's still a big discount from the Keurig brand, which ranges $99 to hundreds.
While looking it up, I also discovered our older unit was recalled! We're getting a new model by mail that supposedly can't explode.
So, thanks!
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We're getting a new model by mail that supposedly can't explode.
That seems like a nice feature!
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This just happened in my office and I immediately thought of this thread:
The standard coffee machine (big pot, basket filter) is entirely funded by employees at my office. It's $5 a month to participate, and one employee is in charge of the money and buying the filters and grounds. It turns out that the coffee fund is floundering, because either it costs too little to cover costs and/or there is rampant stealing of the coffee.
Their solution? They're considering getting a Keurig machine for the office, and having people buy their own cartridges for it. So, there are sneaky people out there that are too cheap to pay $5/mo for unlimited coffee, but they think people are going to pay $0.50/cup in the Keurig? I think this office is about to have a major caffeine withdrawal...
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The small Keurig with the refillable k-cup and a large tin of Tim Hortons is, for me, the best solution for office coffee. I usually bring in a travel cup from home in the morning, but for afternoons, when I usually alternate between tea and coffee, the Keurig allows me to make a cup without having to go heat up water or deal with the mess of cleanup. The Keurig was a gift, and the Horton's is $14 for a huge tin, with about a spoonful filling the k-cup, which makes it a pretty good value for what is without a doubt my favorite coffee.
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My mind got racing about my last post here about how you could possibly lower the costs of a Keurig, if that was the only option in the office.
Other than the fact that I have a french press, they apparently sell a miniature re-usable keurig filter that lets you sprinkle in your own grounds. Awesome. http://www.amazon.com/Keurig-K-Cup-Reusable-Coffee-Filter/dp/B000DLB2FI
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I just wanted to share that my housemate, the least Mustachian person ever, just bought a Keurig (variety pack of k-cups and all) during last night's trip to the grocery store. I'm saving most of his un-mustachian stories for after I move out, but I'll share this one:
-This was the first time I've seen him go to the grocery store in over 3 months. He doesn't have to go more often because if he isn't eating pizza, he's eating some infinite-shelf-life marvel of food science such as pop-tarts, reese's puffs (no milk), or snickers bars.
-This trip to the grocery store generated 1 full bag of trash...before anything was even eaten!
-and of course the Keurig, which is less expensive than the Waffle House coffee he normally buys on the way to work, but we already have a programmable drip coffee-maker in the house which he could program before bed to have a fresh cup ready every morning.
I wasn't awake this morning when he tried it out for the first time, but I'll be curious to see how he likes it when I get home.
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Just wanted to report back that I spent a night at a nice hotel (company paid) and the room had a small Keurig so I had fun playing with that. :) The coffee was quite hot, though, so I couldn't really judge how good/how much I liked the Timothy's coffee k-cup (I rarely drink their stuff anyways.) After this thread I think half my enjoyment was simply that I got to play with it for free/on the company's dime. :) Yay, mindless (caffeinated) gadget fun!
A hotel seems like the only place a Keurig makes sense. I work in a hotel, and I have to say that in 7+ years, I have never seen the dishwashers working on coffee pots from the rooms. And we all know what kinds of shenanigans go on in hotel rooms.
Onto a bigger problem- What is Bed Bath and Beyond going to do with the huge swaths of sales floor real estate dedicated to the Keurig when the fad ends?
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Inlaws bought us one. I'm not a fan, my wife likes it in the morning for her grab to go coffee. I wait until I get to work for the free stuff. On the weekends we french press.
The best deal I've seen for K-Cups is for San Francisco Coffee Co. at Costco - I think they wind up being about .25c per cup.
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The standard coffee machine (big pot, basket filter) is entirely funded by employees at my office. It's $5 a month to participate, and one employee is in charge of the money and buying the filters and grounds.
Considering the "expense" of keeping the employees well-caffeinated happy, it seems a little sad that the employer can't foot the bill.
Back in the 1980s one of our submarine training classes formed a coffee mess of about 20 people. Everyone chipped in $5 to pay for the coffeepot & supplies. We also recycled aluminum soda cans from the classroom, which at the time were a nickel refund. I was planning to collect monthly coffee fees, but the recycle refunds paid so well that at the end of the five-month class I issued $10 dividends.
I'm trying to imagine what would happen if the Navy started requiring everyone to form their own coffee messes. It'd get ugly...
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Back in the 1980s one of our submarine training classes formed a coffee mess of about 20 people. Everyone chipped in $5 to pay for the coffeepot & supplies.
Nuclear powered keurig on a nuclear powered sub?
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First thought when I see this kind of stuff.. ooooo investment idea. Yep private company :-(
http://finance.yahoo.com/q?s=GMCR
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Mountain_Coffee_Roasters
About a year ago they were accused of cooking the books and they fell from >$100 to <$50. Since then they've fallen even further. Unless they get their act together, it may not be a good investment.
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Back in the 1980s one of our submarine training classes formed a coffee mess of about 20 people. Everyone chipped in $5 to pay for the coffeepot & supplies.
Nuclear powered keurig on a nuclear powered sub?
A coffee-drenched sea story for your reading pleasure:
http://the-military-guide.com/2011/09/07/sea-story-coffee-anyone/
Considering the alternatives, Keurigs might not be such a bad idea.
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A coffee-drenched sea story for your reading pleasure:
http://the-military-guide.com/2011/09/07/sea-story-coffee-anyone/
Considering the alternatives, Keurigs might not be such a bad idea.
Haha, Nords! That was great!
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Welp:
http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2012/11/the-case-for-drinking-as-much-coffee-as-you-like/265693/
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Welp:
http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2012/11/the-case-for-drinking-as-much-coffee-as-you-like/265693/
Thanks-- I'll drink to that confirmation bias!
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My mind got racing about my last post here about how you could possibly lower the costs of a Keurig, if that was the only option in the office.
Other than the fact that I have a french press, they apparently sell a miniature re-usable keurig filter that lets you sprinkle in your own grounds. Awesome. http://www.amazon.com/Keurig-K-Cup-Reusable-Coffee-Filter/dp/B000DLB2FI
This is what the wife and I use at home. If we get new k-cups for holidays we enjoy them, but otherwise we just stick with a decent ground coffee that we buy in much larger quantities. The re-usable filter is wonderful.
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My father ended up really wanting one of those for Christmas so we ended up going in on one as part of a split present. Main reason was that he hated feeling wasteful brewing up a full batch of coffee for just one or two cups. I'll admit I was a bit uncertain about it but since I was the one who picked it up (have Sams membership so it was cheapest for me) I made sure to get one with a reusable filter. He tried a few of the k-cups liked a couple of them and couldn't stand another few. Showed him the filter option and he fell in love with it, especially seeing how one filter of coffee grounds can make a few cups of coffee in a row. Still seems overly expensive and would have been better to just get a 4 cup coffee pot or something but I suppose when using your own coffee instead of the throw-away cups it isn't too bad.
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I read the first page and parts of the 2nd page on this posting, so I'm sorry if this has already been brought up..
My parents have a Keurig and I used my Kill-a-watt meter on it to see how much power it uses to "keep the water heated". It's surprisingly efficient. It doesn't keep the water hot all the time. The blue light on there indicates that it's ready to heat the water in the machine, but the water stays room temperature until you make a cup of coffee. It uses a hot coil to heat up the water very quickly. That coil in "ready" mode with the power on uses 2-watts continuously. On start-up it used 600 watts for about 2 seconds, then down to 2 watts. I didn't test it for the making of the cup of coffee, but that numer shouldn't really matter since a cup of coffee takes 15-30 seconds and then it goes back to "ready mode" with 2 watts being used.
Sure, 2 watts does add up over time, especially if you have several devices doing this, but it's not the water-heater that some imply in the posts above, keeping a large amount of water near boiling 24/7.
That takes care of the power efficiency (for me anyway) issue. The cost of coffee (per cup) is another issue. There are cheapie ( $2 each)refillable "k cups" that you put normal ground coffee into that dont work very well. I bought my parents a $14 refillable cup that got good reviews, and my parents love it. Now they can get the convenience benefit and still get a very inexpensive cup of coffee.
The points about longevity of the machine and inability to do DIY or availability of parts are all valid issues that I have no good response for :)
All that said, I'll probably stick to my standard drip coffee machine at least until it dies.
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YES! Reusable K-Cup for the win! http://www.amazon.com/Cafejo-Single-Reusable-Filter-Brewers/dp/B0080050RU/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1352986339&sr=8-4&keywords=reuseable+k+cups (http://www.amazon.com/Cafejo-Single-Reusable-Filter-Brewers/dp/B0080050RU/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1352986339&sr=8-4&keywords=reuseable+k+cups)
This is exactly what we do! I got so irritated by the cost of the k-cups and the WASTE (so much waste), but now we have a re-usable cup and we buy good cheap coffee that we grind in-store at Trader Joe's: $4.99 for 14oz. It takes 0.4 oz of coffee per cup, and that comes out to 35 cups of coffee, which works out to about $0.14/cup of HOT DELICIOUS JOE!
It's great, and I think less waste than a traditional drip coffee maker....we make only what we'll drink and drink only what we make. And as for tea, you can throw a bag in a cup, and you can run the keurig with no coffee in it to just get the hot water.
So it's a hot fresh cup of coffee every time! And I don't believe it takes any more power to heat the water than a traditional coffee pot, plus you don't have that damn hot plate sucking power and burning your coffee. We turn it on, it warms up in a minute or two, brew our cups, then turn it off. I honestly feel it is a pretty efficient coffee system, personally.
SCREW THE K-CUPS! BUY YOUR OWN COFFEE!! If you don't buy into the k-cup thing, it's a pretty sweet setup and IMHO quite Mustachian. :)
My parents bought me (the only non-coffee drinker) a Keurig and the reusable cup. This is perfect for my roommate and I since we both only drink coffee about once a week or so. You have a cup of hot coffee to give you that boost without making an entire pot. You can also make it stronger or weaker and there the waste is reduced.
My company also has a Keurig, and they recycle the k-cups (somehow they get split, the grounds go to compost and the plastic gets recycled.
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I used my Kill-a-watt meter on it to see how much power it uses to "keep the water heated". It's surprisingly efficient. It doesn't keep the water hot all the time. The blue light on there indicates that it's ready to heat the water in the machine, but the water stays room temperature until you make a cup of coffee. It uses a hot coil to heat up the water very quickly. That coil in "ready" mode with the power on uses 2-watts continuously. On start-up it used 600 watts for about 2 seconds, then down to 2 watts. I didn't test it for the making of the cup of coffee, but that numer shouldn't really matter since a cup of coffee takes 15-30 seconds and then it goes back to "ready mode" with 2 watts being
Glad you posted this. I drink a good bit of coffee but my wife only maybe drinks a cup a day. Two years ago during a " we don't have anything new " phase she begged me to get her a keurig. I was philosophically opposed, but gave in eventually for our anniversary. I paid about 120 on sale for the top of the line model...figured if I was spending that much, I wanted the options I might enjoy ( temp control and varied size cups.)
we use primarily the refillable cups... ( a good one, not a cheapie) and the results with good coffee are very good. Not the best coffee ever, but simple clean up and easy to get out the door with no waste.
So, as someone who was opposed, I have come around a little. Aside from the actual purchase price, I find it to be a very useful device...
We make as much coffee as we want with zero waste, minimal clean up, and relative convenience for coffee that is easily better than most drip pots, and when done correctly rivals French press. The big plus for me is I always get a fresh cup. Additionally it costs a lot less to operate, compared to leaving a pot on all morning. Those things are big energy hogs, and the coffee tastes awful after it sits a little While anyway. The keurig heats only a small amount of water more efficiently. Don't know that we will ever recoup the cost of the pot in electricity savings...but overall, it works out for us and is clearly cheaper to operate than any other method available to actually make a cup when you consider cost of coffee and to heat the water. Coffee is a luxury item, but if you don't buy the Kcups, it is not an ongoing money drain.
Also, our model has an auto off timer. After I use it I can leave it on if I may want more, and it will shut off auto. Then wife can make here own fresh cup when she wakes up when I come home for lunch....;)
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Am I the only one being swayed into the realm of the Kuerig based on the energy use and reusable cups??? I find myself thinking this might work better for us than the bodem....
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This thread quickly turned from a "why do people buy these wasteful Keurigs" to "Where can I get one of these energy saving efficient machines?" haha
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My father ended up really wanting one of those for Christmas so we ended up going in on one as part of a split present. Main reason was that he hated feeling wasteful brewing up a full batch of coffee for just one or two cups. I'll admit I was a bit uncertain about it but since I was the one who picked it up (have Sams membership so it was cheapest for me) I made sure to get one with a reusable filter. He tried a few of the k-cups liked a couple of them and couldn't stand another few. Showed him the filter option and he fell in love with it, especially seeing how one filter of coffee grounds can make a few cups of coffee in a row. Still seems overly expensive and would have been better to just get a 4 cup coffee pot or something but I suppose when using your own coffee instead of the throw-away cups it isn't too bad.
Are that many people unaware that a regular drop-type coffee maker is perfectly capable of making less than a full pot at a time? You just put in less water and grounds. It really is that simple. There's probably an actual minimum, but half pots work quite well.
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Hm should have been "drip-type" not "drop-type"
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I tested my drip-type coffee maker this morning with my kilo-watt meter just for comparison. The drip-type is less than 6 months old. While making coffee it runs at 940 watts for the ~5 minutes it takes to make the pot of coffee. When it's just "keeping it warm" it runs at an average of 40 watts for about 2 hours. After that is "shuts off" and runs continuously at 2 watts (light up clock). So for comparison sake, I think the keurig is roughly the same efficiency per cup (keurig uses less power, but you only get a cup at a time).
These results are basically what I would expect though, since both machines use basically the same method of heating water and sending it through the grounds. They're really not that different!
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I tested my drip-type coffee maker this morning with my kilo-watt meter just for comparison. The drip-type is less than 6 months old. While making coffee it runs at 940 watts for the ~5 minutes it takes to make the pot of coffee. When it's just "keeping it warm" it runs at an average of 40 watts for about 2 hours. After that is "shuts off" and runs continuously at 2 watts (light up clock). So for comparison sake, I think the keurig is roughly the same efficiency per cup (keurig uses less power, but you only get a cup at a time).
These results are basically what I would expect though, since both machines use basically the same method of heating water and sending it through the grounds. They're really not that different!
Yep, it takes a certain amount of electricity to heat 1 cup of water to 190F (or whatever you brew at) - ye kinna change the laws of physics!
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My very generous in-laws bought us a $200 Keurig machine for Christmas. TWO HUNDRED DOLLARS. It's the same model they bought after renovating their kitchen. I think my mother-in-law misinterpreted our polite comments for genuine enthusiasm. The Keurig works great for them because half-full pots of coffee were frequently going to waste.
My spouse and I love coffee, and drink a lot of it every day. There are no half-full pots getting chucked around here. I appreciate the thought, and even the economics presented here of the product, but for us it's just a completely 100% unnecessary appliance. We've got a perfectly good drip coffee maker (it even has a timer!) and a deluxe french press for lazy weekend mornings. AND so many different ways of brewing tea and making hot chocolate. Thankfully my MIL is very willing to give gift receipts with presents.
So, any Mustachian products at Bed Bath & Beyond? Our kitchen is truly fully kitted out, so I'm contemplating a nice down comforter or something similar. Since we keep the house nice and chilly here in New England. :)
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I'm missing something with the "don't drink a full pot so some goes to waste" thoughts. I have a very basic 10 year old Mr. Coffee 12 cup maker that takes the pleated filters. Now most coffee I've seen instructs you to measure out a certain amount per cup, not pot full. So when I want a SINGLE mug of coffee (normal 8oz), I put in two scoops, and fill the water to the 2 cup line (I have no idea how Mr. Coffee can claim their idea of a cup is a cup). I press the go button, and a couple of minutes later, I'm pouring it into my cup. Coffee for two? Simply double that. Since coffee that sits in these glass containers with the warmers doesn't taste good after I'm done with my first cup, I always brew only what I will be immediately drinking. The pleated filters are insanely cheap, and I'll probably switch to a cleanable screen when my current supply runs out, so as not to be wasteful. Although I'll do some research first. I'd rather waste degradable American made paper filters, then reuse a Chinese screen.
Anyway, my experience has been that I can brew a single cup with my old, no-frills maker.
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So, any Mustachian products at Bed Bath & Beyond? Our kitchen is truly fully kitted out, so I'm contemplating a nice down comforter or something similar. Since we keep the house nice and chilly here in New England. :)
Without knowing anything else about the dynamic with the generous in-laws and the expectations on gift exchanging, honestly I would just keep the new coffee maker at least for a while. Some people have no problem with you returning their gifts, but unless you're sure, it's not worth the possible cost of hurting their feelings. If they come over to visit and you don't make them a cup of coffee with it, you can probably expect them to notice! Or they might ask you how you're enjoying it. If it takes up unnecessary room in your kitchen, some people just put the present away and bring it out prior to a visit ;-)
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Without knowing anything else about the dynamic with the generous in-laws and the expectations on gift exchanging, honestly I would just keep the new coffee maker at least for a while. Some people have no problem with you returning their gifts, but unless you're sure, it's not worth the possible cost of hurting their feelings. If they come over to visit and you don't make them a cup of coffee with it, you can probably expect them to notice! Or they might ask you how you're enjoying it. If it takes up unnecessary room in your kitchen, some people just put the present away and bring it out prior to a visit ;-)
Oh, I'm not worried about offending. My MIL is of the generous no-strings-attached type. She's already said that if we didn't like it we could return it. And this is my husband's task, not mine. It's always much easier figuring out the nuances with your own parents. :)
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Some people like beer, or wine, or cola. Some people like Mars candy bars, others enjoy hand-made belgian truffles. I like coffee. Some people like Tim Horton's coffee, I like espresso. I won't judge their preference. I drink coffee for the taste and experience, and as a hobby. I am aware of coffee's many health benefits, and its negative effects as well. I enjoy mixing my own blend from various types of beans, grinds, and roasts. Espresso in particular is an art, and I brew it on a high-end semi-automatic home espresso machine. I drink one cup a day, and that's it. I own a beat-up 20-year old Honda Civic which I plan to keep it for another 10 years or more if possible. I thnk paying more than $2,000 on a car is ridiculous, but if I had spare cash, I would not blink at spending that same amount of money on my dream coffee machine. I agree that that may sound ridiculous to some. Personally, I wouldn't want to drink anything out of a Keurig machine, or from Starbucks either, even if I need the energy boost in the morning.
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I had a Keurig. I Loved it, but it actually was a pita to make multiple cups, like for my travel cup in the morning. Plus throwing away so many plastic cups bugged me... So I switched back to a regular drip coffee maker.
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WTF is a Kuerig? This post kept popping up in my unread post pile. Driving me nuts, finally had to google it. One of those pod coffee machines...still can't see whats so special.
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Whenever I see this thread coming up I keep flashing back to some facebook updates from a certain highschool acquaintance. In order (not consecutive):
#1, pre-election: Bitching about how honestly she's worse off than she was four years ago. Cell phone, cable, gas, bills are all higher and there's less left over for "fun things" [because apparently cell phones and cable aren't part of the "fun" stuff].
#2, two weeks before christmas: "Wish we could get a Keurig this year but it just wasn't in the gifts budget, boo."
#3, a week later: A photo of a sports-team-branded garbage can (like, the big kind that you take down to the curb), she bought because she "just can't pass up a deal!"
#4, recently: A post bitching about someone in line ahead of her using food stamps while wearing "the super cute Ugg boots that I want but can't afford."
It's not terrible, but all her posts have this general complainy-pants feel but even though she's the one who friended me I don't feel like we know each other well enough for me to comment on anything so I just sit back being this superior asshole.
Update on 1/22: They've now bought a Keurig.
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To save even more money, we bought a reusable k-cup for $8 and bulk coffee ground for free at the store. We are guessing this will last about six weeks at one cup 6 days a week. We even dump the grounds in the compost we set up last year!
YES! Reusable K-Cup for the win! http://www.amazon.com/Cafejo-Single-Reusable-Filter-Brewers/dp/B0080050RU/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1352986339&sr=8-4&keywords=reuseable+k+cups (http://www.amazon.com/Cafejo-Single-Reusable-Filter-Brewers/dp/B0080050RU/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1352986339&sr=8-4&keywords=reuseable+k+cups)
This is exactly what we do! I got so irritated by the cost of the k-cups and the WASTE (so much waste), but now we have a re-usable cup and we buy good cheap coffee that we grind in-store at Trader Joe's: $4.99 for 14oz. It takes 0.4 oz of coffee per cup, and that comes out to 35 cups of coffee, which works out to about $0.14/cup of HOT DELICIOUS JOE!
It's great, and I think less waste than a traditional drip coffee maker....we make only what we'll drink and drink only what we make. And as for tea, you can throw a bag in a cup, and you can run the keurig with no coffee in it to just get the hot water.
So it's a hot fresh cup of coffee every time! And I don't believe it takes any more power to heat the water than a traditional coffee pot, plus you don't have that damn hot plate sucking power and burning your coffee. We turn it on, it warms up in a minute or two, brew our cups, then turn it off. I honestly feel it is a pretty efficient coffee system, personally.
SCREW THE K-CUPS! BUY YOUR OWN COFFEE!! If you don't buy into the k-cup thing, it's a pretty sweet setup and IMHO quite Mustachian. :)
We have one of these and I end up using way less coffee than when I make a pot.
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I just recently did some testing with a Keurig.
I'm a bit of a coffee enthusiast myself. I'm a home roaster (using a cheapo hot air popcorn popper) and pay about the same price per pound for some of the best coffees in the world as I would at Costco or Sam's. I typically use a French press, or a $13 filter cone called the Clever Coffee Dripper (have to buy filters though... that sucks, and it's one reason I more often use the press). I also use a small Moka Pot at work.
A lot of people have asked me what I thought of the Keurig, but I don't own one, so I could only give them speculation. I decided I'd conduct some tests on a few units I have access to at work and church.
The first time was with a Green Mountain K-cup. Just some breakfast blend. It was, in a word, AWFUL. The coffee had been stale for ages already (ground coffee loses most of its flavor in days). This confirmed my speculation that a regular cup of coffee made with K-cups would be pretty bad. I don't know about all the flavored stuff though. I don't care much for it.
I knew the only way to make fresh coffee was with a re-usable K-cup. I got one on amazon knowing that if it didn't work for me, I could sell it to a co-worker. After all, if it turned out to work halfway decent, I could use it in a pinch. So I got the Ekobrew (http://"http://www.amazon.com/Ekobrew-Refillable-Keurig-Brewers-1-Count/dp/B0051SU0OW") re-usable k-cup from amazon.
The instructions suggested using a drip grind like you'd get from grocery store drip coffee. So my first cup was some fresh roasted Ethiopian ground according to the instructions. The result was much better than the Green Mountain K-cup, but was still nowhere near as good as when it's made with a press. The problem was that it was significantly underextracted. The Keurig simply did not extract enough of the flavorful components from the grounds. It was weak and not what it should have been.
I decided to try a finer grind. This time I went as fine as I would for my Clever cone or the moka pot, which is a few notches short of an espresso grind. The result was significantly better. It was still underextracted, but was actually an acceptable cup. I'd put it on par with the coffee made from a regular pourover cone, which isn't bad at all.
My final evaluation: the Keurig is capable of making an acceptable cup if you use fresh coffee with a find grind in a re-usable K-cup. However, I would still never own one. I can make a cup with a French press in only a couple minutes longer, and most of that time is spent doing other things like eating breakfast, putting on my shoes or something else that needs done in the meantime.
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Maybe I'm the only one willing to admit I use a Keurig EVERY DAY. Every morning I brew 1 cup of coffee for my travel mug and am out the door. If I were retired, I'd use a french press, but not there yet...
In order to get your 'cost-per-cup' down, you have to buy K-cups that are not using the standard plastic K-Cup Patent.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007TGDXMU/ref=rcxsubs_mys2_product_title
I subscribe & save 1 box every 2 months.
To me, it saves me time (consider MMM's calculation of $50/hr when driving etc.., it must be used in time saving calculations as well!!). Even without my time, or lack of time, to brew a coffee. To brew 1 single cup of coffee, it is incredibly efficient.
Another cost saving measure which I have is the plastic filter. I bought the first gen of these, 3 back for $15. This also greatly reduces your cost per cup.
http://www.amazon.com/Eco-Fill-Reusable-Refillable-Coffee-Brewers/dp/B009QP9B28/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1358902519&sr=8-2&keywords=k-cup+filter+eco
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Every morning I brew 1 cup of coffee for my travel mug and am out the door. If I were retired, I'd use a french press, but not there yet...
To me, it saves me time (consider MMM's calculation of $50/hr when driving etc.., it must be used in time saving calculations as well!!). Even without my time, or lack of time, to brew a coffee. To brew 1 single cup of coffee, it is incredibly efficient.
I would argue that it doesn't save much time versus press, since most of the time is idle. Turn on a burner to heat water. While that's heating rind coffee and put it in press. Takes about 10 seconds. Put hot water in press, wait 4 minutes. Stir, press, pour.
Most of that time is waiting, during which you can eat breakfast, put on shoes, pack your lunch, or the laptop, check email or any other of the tasks you may need to do in the morning.
I do this on many mornings and it hardly takes any more time than it would if I hadn't made the coffee. It just becomes part of the routine. Most of the time i'm doing 3 things at once: making coffee, eating breakfast (rolled oats, honey, fruit with milk... thanks MMM for the idea of eating rolled oats like cereal) and some other task.
I mean, if you can use a Keurig and hit the $0.10-$0.15 per cup mark, I'd say you've gotten the price down pretty well. My argument is that the Keurig just doesn't save all that much time. Especially since, for me, it compromises the cup quality.
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There's a Keurig at my grad school department that I <3. They supply the cups, too, so no cost to me (except tuition, which my company pays for)!
When we have class with 25 people, everyone can get the coffee (or tea) they want during the 15 min breaks. It's not too bad (the green tea is not good), but it does the job.
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OK, I timed it today.
It took me 7 minutes to make coffee. 4 of this was the time it spent in the French press, the other 3 was getting the water in the kettle and waiting for it to heat.
However, *during* that time, I ground the coffee (while water was heating), washed the French press (which I'd forgotten to do yesterday... DOH), I ate the 2nd half of my breakfast, washed the dishes I used, ground more coffee for someone else today and got my lunch together. Had I not had to wash the press or grind the 2nd bit of coffee, I'd have also had time to pack my backpack and get my coat on.
Like I said, making coffee in a press is mostly waiting. Spend the time doing other stuff and you're not saving much time with the Keurig. At least not enough for me to be willing to compromise the cup quality.
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I was just going to mention this too, but more as a great investment opportunity (of course, make your own decision after research etc). These guys have made people millionaires and while there is some risks when patents run out etc. They have a good moat with their partnerships with Swiss Miss, Dunkin Donuts and many others. The k-cups are very high margin, though that will drop when market saturation with competing cups happens. Anyway, the Coca Cola guy getting in as CEO might allay some of the management fears of years past.
I don't drink coffee myself, but the GF does. We have a shitty little Gevalia (Mr. Coffee rebrand) free machine they sent us. Works great. I get the water-softened water from the tap at work since our water is horrible. The coffee is free from work too (they hand out bags of it at xmas and other events, plus I check with R&D for samples etc) and when my last company closed the doors, they threw away all supplies. I picked up the boxes of coffee filters. I only pay for the electricity to run it for 5 minutes every morning.
I like the routine, pour water in it, put coffee in filter, put filter in machine, make breakfast, turn off machine, pour GF the coffee and rinse out the pot. It smells great, tastes like feces. Arguing about health benefits tends to be more about justification for drinking it vs not drinking it. Yeah, you can get cancer, glaucoma and a bunch of other nasties easier if you drink coffee. You also limit a lot of nasties by drinking it so either way can be justified.
It's just like smoking. Some love it, some hate it, both justify it with benefits and drawbacks.
Then there are people like my stepdad. He imports 80lbs bags of beans from Cuba and roasts it, grinds it, makes it. He can SMELL where the beans are from if he orders coffee at a restaurant. Insane! That's autism!
First thought when I see this kind of stuff.. ooooo investment idea. Yep private company :-(
http://finance.yahoo.com/q?s=GMCR
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Mountain_Coffee_Roasters
About a year ago they were accused of cooking the books and they fell from >$100 to <$50. Since then they've fallen even further. Unless they get their act together, it may not be a good investment.
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"Coffee's for closers only."
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So many of my friends have Kuerigs and I just don't get it. Most of them don't have a lot of money either. I've had hot chocolate from them (very meh), wouldn't touch the teas since I *really* like tea and am scared I'd have to drink a mug to be polite.
My husband makes his coffee in a stovetop Bialetti Moka pot - now that's seriously good coffee and doesn't take a huge amount of time. He has a French press for when he wants more than a travel mug full.
I just spent a morning with a friend who went into raptures about the Kuerig she just bought (for the low price of $150) and the deal she got with all the cups. Like I said, I just don't get it, but if it makes her happy, then I'm happy. I don't have to have/want one.
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There is an alternative to the Keurig/French Press/Coffee maker choice. I drink a lot of coffee, and I like it fresh, cheap, and without a lot of cleanup. So I purchased a plastic cone that sits on top of a mug (about $2) and takes a #2 Melita filter. I can make any size cup of coffee I want just by varying the amount in the filter. When it is done, I throw the filter in the compost, rinse the filter, and I'm done. With a good electric kettle, the whole process doesn't take much longer than brewing a cup in the cheap Keurig we have at my work.
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Yes I did this for years as a student, works just fine :)
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Yeah, I used a filter cone for a while. It's good (about as good as the Keurig coffee I made with the re-usable k-cup), but you miss out on that nice 4 minute extraction time. The Clever Coffee Dripper from sweetmarias.com offers the best of both worlds and is about $15. Only problem with both is that you have to buy filters. At some point you'll make up the difference in the price of a French press.
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Whenever I see this thread coming up I keep flashing back to some facebook updates from a certain highschool acquaintance. In order (not consecutive):
#1, pre-election: Bitching about how honestly she's worse off than she was four years ago. Cell phone, cable, gas, bills are all higher and there's less left over for "fun things" [because apparently cell phones and cable aren't part of the "fun" stuff].
#2, two weeks before christmas: "Wish we could get a Keurig this year but it just wasn't in the gifts budget, boo."
#3, a week later: A photo of a sports-team-branded garbage can (like, the big kind that you take down to the curb), she bought because she "just can't pass up a deal!"
#4, recently: A post bitching about someone in line ahead of her using food stamps while wearing "the super cute Ugg boots that I want but can't afford."
It's not terrible, but all her posts have this general complainy-pants feel but even though she's the one who friended me I don't feel like we know each other well enough for me to comment on anything so I just sit back being this superior asshole.
Update on 1/22: They've now bought a Keurig.
This whole post just cracked me up - in a sad, sad way. I have a similar friend. Sigh.
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I wish I still had the magazine. National Geographic ran a beautiful cover article on coffee/caffeine a little while back with a center piece of brain scans. A heavy caffeine user shows more brain activity than a non-user when they get their fix, and less brain activity than a non user when they have not had caffeine. Sadly, google is only showing me the cover of the magazine, I can't seem to find the image of the scans.
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I bought one as a gift for my mom, only to find out my brother had already bought her one. Rather than shipping it back, I succumbed to temptation and tried it out. I'm still using it two years later...
In my case, I had been using an AeroPress to make single cups each morning. To get a good brew I wound up using large amounts of relatively pricey coffee, and grinding the beans myself. Doing the math, it turned out that k-cups weren't much more /cup, and the advantages of the Kuerig made it easy to justify. It's less work, less mess, less time (auto-on timer for the water heater), and generally a more consistent cuppa at the end of it.
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First thought when I see this kind of stuff.. ooooo investment idea. Yep private company :-(
[/quote
Keurig is owned by Green Mountain Coffee Roasters and traded under the ticker GMCR. Before you consider it, please perform adequate due diligence. There are patent and trading issues that have complicated the company's future.
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For Christmas this year my father-in-law bought us a Tassimo, which is very similar to the Kuerig... My wife uses it a lot due to sheer lazyness, but I MUCH prefer my French Press... I'll use it once a week at the most to make a simple coffee when I don't want to deal with the FP, but overall the FP coffee is superior.
My wife has become addicted to the Latte's, Cappuccinos, etc... so this is going to be an expensive ongoing thing...not happy we got one for Christmas financially, but it does make her happy to have a Latte in 45 seconds in the morning!
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My wife and I made fun of the Kuerig fad until she received one for Christmas last year. Since then she's used it daily and our french press has gone forgotten in the cabinet. We justify it by figuring she saves quite a bit over the frequent trips to Starbucks that she made prior to getting the machine. I've never been much of a coffee/tea person, so since I gave up soda (and by proxy caffeine) I pretty much stick to water.
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I wish I still had the magazine. National Geographic ran a beautiful cover article on coffee/caffeine a little while back with a center piece of brain scans. A heavy caffeine user shows more brain...
I read that one as well..
I disagree, good sir. Black coffee, every morning here.
Yup! yum
Only if you only drink it a couple times a month or less.
People who drink it everyday are getting nothing from it.
What they are feeling that the mistake for a boost in energy and alertness is really just the subsiding of the withdrawal...
Whats up w/ all the coffee haters on this thread? MMM drinks coffee!
We got one of those machines at work cause people were drinking the coffee and not putting money in the fund. Also, people who did pay would brew a whole pot then only drink half.
I don't like the machine (regular brewer @ home) but I use it; 3-4 pods a week purchased from Costco. SFbay coffee pods have a paper net bottom instead of all the plastic, and they come out to $.312 each, $1.20ish/week for me. See MMM's article on Costco: http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2011/09/30/is-a-costco-membership-worth-the-cost/ (http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2011/09/30/is-a-costco-membership-worth-the-cost/)
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Whats up w/ all the coffee haters on this thread? MMM drinks coffee!
Yup, he does. That doesn't give you a free pass to not think about it as one of your choices, just like owning two cars and a $400,000 house may not work for your situation and just like I'll still punch you in the face if you spend more than $100/month on crossfit. If the best defense you've got to somebody questioning your consumption is an instinctive "but the big guy does it", you may want to rethink your purchases, or at least your motivations for them.
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Only if you only drink it a couple times a month or less.
People who drink it everyday are getting nothing from it.
What they are feeling that the mistake for a boost in energy and alertness is really just the subsiding of the withdrawal...
Whats up w/ all the coffee haters on this thread?
[/quote]
Who's hating? Just pointing out an apparently not well know medical fact.
My partner drinks coffee regularly too.
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Yup, he does. That doesn't give you a free pass to not think about it as one of your choices, just like owning two cars and a $400,000 house may not work for your situation and just like I'll still punch you in the face if you spend more than $100/month on crossfit. If the best defense you've got to somebody questioning your consumption is an instinctive "but the big guy does it", you may want to rethink your purchases, or at least your motivations for them.
Obviously I "rethink [my] purchases", why else would I be in this forum. No "defense" needed for seeking out the most cost effective k-cups for use on a machine I didn't buy! In light of this being MMM's forum "but the big guy does it" is perfectly sound reasoning.
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Who's hating? Just pointing out...
perhaps 'hating' is a little extreme; lets just agree that you are not a coffee fan--
The jury is out on the long term health benefits of coffee, as with most diet issues, 'medical studies' can be found for or against.
This thread was started by a coffee drinker (yes, I see he quit) and applies to coffee drinkers.
$.50/day (the average I spend on several coffee delivery mediums) is well worth the great good pleasure of several hot cups of (black) coffee every morning.
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In light of this being MMM's forum "but the big guy does it" is perfectly sound reasoning.
It's neither perfectly sound reasoning nor reasoning at all. That's lemming talk, not reasoning.
I drink coffee, I do so cheaply, and I enjoy it. It's worth what it costs me, just like Costco salmon and steak. I get pleasure out of the food exceeding what they cost me, so I by them. That's reasoning.
If somebody walked into this forum and said "I'm an atheist because MMM is", or "I'm an iPhone-owning ultrabook-user because MMM is", or "I'm a landlord because MMM is, even though I live in San Diego", you wouldn't accept that as reasoning supporting their choice working for their situation. So why is coffee any different?
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What---this thread has gone on for this long with no catheter/bedpan references? Maybe I just haven't read carefully enough.
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I know the price and the apparent ongoing cost make the Keurig an easy target, and I was right there with y'all until recently, but we have honest to goodness saved money on coffee since receiving ours.
We use reusable K-filters, and each have one cup per day most days, which is about 4 tbsp of coffee. The minimum size batch we could make in our old coffee maker was 6 tbsp- anything less either tasted watered down, or if we reduced the water amount, it ended up tasting burnt. So on the price off coffee alone, it's a 33% drop (although those savings are currently unrealized, since I still have a large stash of coffee I obtained free* from my days in the green apron).
The coffee is surprisingly good (K-Cups don't make for the best coffee, but when you're packing your own, it can be tasty), which was one of my chief concerns. Also, since we wake up at different times, neither of us has the misfortune of being the one to get up after the coffee has gone stale. That means less milk and sugar used in the preparation of our morning joe.**
Now, if you're the type to get up, make a pot of coffee, and drink said pot of coffee, you probably wouldn't see any savings. If you're going to add a gallon of milk to every cup no matter how fresh, you probably also won't see any savings. If you're satisfied with some other single cup brewing system, or are a morning person who can actually prepare a French Press AND get dressed in time to leave for work, or have no preference when it comes to the freshness of your coffee, then stay far far away from a Keurig. But for any other coffee drinker... it might at least be a gift you don't immediately place on eBay after receiving. Buying is another story entirely.
*yes, I realize this was a benefit of the job and not technically 'free,' but the benefit could only be used for coffee/tea, and you could get fired for re-selling the beans. I guess I could sell them now if anyone wants to buy expired SBux coffee beans at below market price, but then I'd have to buy more coffee.
**Not to be confused with Morning Joe (TM). Gold Coast Blend is not tasty, and MSNBC is not an antenna station.
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"Wah, wah, wah -- I resent people using Kuerigs!" :(
Give me a break, people. You don't want to use a Kuerig, then don't. But stop your whining.
A "Kuerig for one" coffeemaker costs $99, not $200. The individual coffee thingies cost 0.50 or so, if you know where to buy them off retail. And the coffee -- IMHO -- is FAR superior to anything else I have ever had, barring $2.50 coffee at some really frufru restaurant (maybe). And, no, it's not instant coffee, silly! Kuerig-made Tully's French Roast coffee is the only cup of coffee I can enjoy drinking black. With coffee made any other way -- even at restaurants -- I have to throw in the cream to mask the bitterness and make it palatable.
I'll go save the 50 cents on something else.
Kuerig rocks!
Alex in Virginia
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Did someone hurt your feelings by mildly ribbing your indulgent and luxurious life, or did you wake up on the wrong side of the bed?
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"Wah, wah, wah -- I resent people using Kuerigs!" :(
Give me a break, people. You don't want to use a Kuerig, then don't. But stop your whining.
I'll go save the 50 cents on something else.
Kuerig rocks!
Alex in Virginia
But this place is all about delivering face punches for silly spending habits. :P
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Did someone hurt your feelings by mildly ribbing your indulgent and luxurious life, or did you wake up on the wrong side of the bed?
Using a Kuerig doesn't throw you into the "indulgent and luxurious life" dark side, my friend. :D I've got no debt, a paid-up mortgage, annual base expenses of $18,000 vs $48,000 coming in from passive sources and a little webwork, so... the extra $100 or so A YEAR that it costs me to drink and enjoy one cup of Kuerig-made coffee a day is not worth arguing about.
And, hey, it's not me that started or kept going this complainypants rant post about Kuerigs.
'Nuff said.
Alex in Virginia
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I currently use an Aeropress for espresso / single serve coffee. I have the metal filter so I don't need to buy filters forever.
(http://images.amazon.com/images/G/01/kitchen/detailpages/aeropress-hero-260.jpg)
I use a Chemex with Koava Cone if I'm brewing a whole pot (gf is over, guests, etc). It's made from borosilicate glass, will last forever, makes wonderful coffee and is rated as one of the best designed objects of the 20th century by the MOMA.
(http://caffezine.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/IMG_0714er.jpg)
Eventually I will splurge and buy a Il Pavino, but that will be in some time. I bought the Chemex, the Aeropress and the metal filters for both for less than what a Kuerig will cost. They're manual, low maintenance, easy to clean and will likely last my lifetime. Much better deal and amazing coffee.
We have a Kuerig at work which I use, but the coffee is pretty horrible and I can't even get it to put through enough water to fill my big steel Bodum mug.
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Using a Kuerig doesn't throw you into the "indulgent and luxurious life" dark side, my friend. :D I've got no debt, a paid-up mortgage, annual base expenses of $18,000 vs $48,000 coming in from passive sources and a little webwork, so... the extra $100 or so A YEAR that it costs me to drink and enjoy one cup of Kuerig-made coffee a day is not worth arguing about.
Congrats on your mustachian lifestyle. I meant luxurious in a good way -- coffee is a great thing, but it's not a bare essential. Anyone drinking coffee is living a life of luxury, if they choose to view it as such. Hell, I'm a college kid and I'm eating a $4 steak dinner right now! I'd be quicker to view it as good fun than a complainypants rant -- and I certainly didn't mean to impugn your mustache, but I can see how it came off that way.
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Using a Kuerig doesn't throw you into the "indulgent and luxurious life" dark side, my friend. :D I've got no debt, a paid-up mortgage, annual base expenses of $18,000 vs $48,000 coming in from passive sources and a little webwork, so... the extra $100 or so A YEAR that it costs me to drink and enjoy one cup of Kuerig-made coffee a day is not worth arguing about.
Congrats on your mustachian lifestyle. I meant luxurious in a good way -- coffee is a great thing, but it's not a bare essential. Anyone drinking coffee is living a life of luxury, if they choose to view it as such. Hell, I'm a college kid and I'm eating a $4 steak dinner right now! I'd be quicker to view it as good fun than a complainypants rant -- and I certainly didn't mean to impugn your mustache, but I can see how it came off that way.
Costco steak I'm guessing?
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Costco steak I'm guessing?
Of course, is there any other way? $120 for a big honkin' ribeye that turned into 32 delicious, lean steaks ($5.19/lb before trimming the fat)! What could be better?